Murray Seminar: Pippa Salonius on 'Authority, Nature and the Image'
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck 43 Gordon Square
No booking required
Medieval culture has been described as a 'culture of authority'. Kings, princes, and city-states all sought to establish themselves as central figures of authority. The pope, as the earthly representative of divine authority and justice, strived to remain their point of reference. As the ultimate authority, God's work could be cited in words from the Bible or as images of the natural world. In a society where the word of God reigned supreme, visual reminders of this chain of command were of vital importance. Images, after all, were the lingua franca of medieval Christendom, but given the abstract nature of the message, how was its meaning best conveyed?